You know what happens when you plant a seed and it sprouts. It grows into a larger plant. Did you know that plant has seeds of its own? God designed the world’s plants to reproduce that way. (Genesis 1:11) Eventually, seeds leave home and make their way into the wide world. They don’t want to pitch a tent in the parent plant’s backyard. They travel to new territory where they have space to reproduce on their own without competing for sunlight. And they travel in many different ways. See ya, Mom!
Gravity—Weight helps fruit fall from a branch when it ripens and its stem weakens. Round fruits might roll a small distance. But animals will often carry them farther from the tree.
Stick— Seeds take an animal Uber. With sticky mucous or barbed spines they cling to the fur of passing critters. The traveling animals carry seeds to new places where they can take root.
Flutter and Spin—Some seeds glide on two wings like airplanes, while others flutter. Some act like whirlybirds or helicopters, spinning on one wing like a propeller. Tumbleweeds roll in the wind, scattering seeds as they go.
Collect—Seed-storers like ants, birds, and rodents carry seeds away to their caches. Many seeds are left over if an animal dies or moves to a new area. If the seeds are hidden underground, some may start to sprout.
Float—Some seeds or fruits are waterproof. They can bob along far downstream in a river. They can drift across a lake. Some survive salt water long enough to be carried by currents across an ocean.
Explode—In the fall, seed pods dry and shrink. Pressure builds. It takes only a light touch to trigger a pod to pop out its seeds. Some pods have holes. Wind blows and the seeds sprinkle out like salt from a shaker.
Ingest—Now you know that bears scat-ter seeds. But did you know plenty of other animals do too? Fruits’ seeds have coatings that animals can’t digest. So the seeds can move through the animal’s belly, out through its scat, and into the ground.
Wind—Dandelion seeds can travel 100 miles on the wind. Sometimes they even float across the sea and grow on bare land where volcanoes have burned up plant life. Wind picks up the lightweight seeds. Dandelion fluff acts just like a parachute. The seed’s bristles create a whirlwind of air. The vortex keeps the seed floating.
